[This is the first in what we hope is a large series of expert blogs on TOD highlighting work and research that experts are doing in the field. Today's post is by Dr. Ming Zhang who is an Associate Professor in the School of Community and Regional Planning at the University of Texas at Austin. Dr. Zhang specializes in urban transportation planning, transportation impacts on land use, urban form and travel behavior, GIS applications in urban and transportation planning, and land use/transportation issues in developing countries.]

Portland claims to be a success story and Oakland has tried innovative ways to promote transit-oriented development. But what constitutes a successful project? That's a discussion that could follow the addition of three more papers to the Best Practices section.

A new analysis from CEOs for Cities reveals that homes in more walkable neighborhoods are worth more than similar homes in less-walkable neighborhoods. The report, “Walking the Walk: How Walkability Raises Housing Values in U.S. Cities” by Joseph Cortright, analyzed data from 94,000 real estate transactions in 15 major markets provided by ZipRealty and found that in 13 of the 15 markets, higher levels of walkability, as measured by Walk Score, were directly linked to higher home values, according to CEOs for Cities's press release.

Demand for public transit is at historic highs but rather than grow to meet this demand, transit agencies across the country are retrenching and in too many cases cutting service as state and local government support for transit is cut in response to the economic recession. Now is the time for the federal government to act to reshape transportation funding in America.

Sacramento's efforts to rebuild 240 acres of long-vacant industrial land into a modern extension of its downtown earned the city a prominent article in the New York Times the other day. "In the next 20 years, the developer Thomas Enterprises, based in Newnan, Ga., plans to build up to 12,000 residential units, 800,000 square feet of commercial space, scattered small parks, a railroad history museum and a performing arts center," the Times notes. But that's only part of the story.

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The Half-Mile Circles blog is a place to share information about recent research, innovations and other issues related to TOD and livable communities. We also invite experts to talk about their work. Combined with Jeff Wood's The Other Side of the Tracks, the Half-Mile Circles blog is an opportunity for a daily dose of TOD, and allows you to weigh in with your own opinions. Usual blog rules apply; please keep the comment threads civil. To submit an expert article, contact Jeff Wood